“Stress in Modern Life”
Life is getting busier all the time. Never before in human history have we been so connected to one another, both personally and professionally. With that connectivity comes productivity. Tasks that took days to complete 50 years ago now take mere seconds. Our kids are expected to know more at four years old than we knew at eight, because this amazing technology exists to allow us access to information at a moment’s notice.
While this technology makes life easier, it also causes more stress and work. If something can be gotten in an instant, we want it in an instant. So now our bosses, our teachers and our peers put more pressure on us to get more work done more quickly. And when you live in New York City, all of that is amplified 100 times.
This stress and overwork leaves our bodies in a constant state of exhaustion. Our nervous system is broken into two main parts, Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in when we are under stress. It’s our “fight or flight” mechanism, and allows us to perform under pressure. Before we became civilized, it was the sympathetic nervous system that allowed us to decide whether to fight the attacking tiger, or run from it. When this part of your nervous system kicks in, your eyes dilate, your heart beats faster and your breaths are shallow. The body redirects blood away from your digestive system, to your heart, lungs and eyes. You need all your resources to think quickly and take action.
When the situation is over, your parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and you can relax, digest your food, give your heart a rest,and recover from the stress. This is the concept of Yin (Parasympathetic) and Yang (Sympathetic). These two systems should live in balance and harmony with one another. Only then can we achieve optimal health.
Unfortunately for us, the body’s innate processes have not caught up with the world we live in. When your boss yells at you, or when you’re rushing to get the kids off to school, or you’re late with the rent payment, your body still thinks that the tiger is chasing you. We have so many stressors from all over that the sympathetic nervous system never shuts down. Our hearts are constantly working overtime, leading to heart disease. Our eyes are constantly dilated, leading to headaches. We never take deep relaxing breaths, and our digestive systems don’t get a chance to extract the life-giving nutrients from our food, causing gas and bloating, acid reflux and a whole host of serious health issues. We are all Yang and no Yin.
“Finding Balance”
Unless we make drastic changes in our lives, this situation is not going to change. So what’s the answer?
Interventions such as acupuncture, herbs and massage help to put our bodies into the “rest and digest” mode. Studies show that weekly acupuncture sessions improve digestion, reduce blood pressure and, in general, help the body heal itself. But one hour a week won’t fix the whole problem, so for the time in between appointments, we have meditation.
Mindfulness Meditation is practiced throughout the world from the highest echelon of Buddhist Monks in India to soldiers returning from war, using it to combat PTSD. It’s a simple and effective method to bring balance back to your life. And it comes with great benefits.
The practice of meditation is simple: Find a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed for five to 10 minutes. Turn off your phone—off, not silent, not vibrating, just off. Sit. You don’t need to sit in a full lotus, or a difficult yoga pose. You need only to be in a comfortable position, whether sitting in a chair or even lying down.
As you relax, notice your breath moving in and out of your nose. Feel the air as it enters and exits your nostrils. Hear the sound as it comes into the body and travels to your lungs. Place your focus here. Whenever thoughts pop into your head, don’t fight them. Let them pass and come back to the breath. Do this for five to 10 minutes every day. If you’d like, work your way up to longer periods of meditation.
Practicing Mindfulness Meditation allows your body to rest in a Yin state. A recent study from Harvard University showed that meditation helps to decrease blood pressure, increase fertility, increase immunity and balance emotions. Over time you will see that many of the bothersome things that ail you begin to dissipate. And perhaps most importantly, when we practice mindfulness meditation daily, it retrains our brain to stay in a parasympathetic state during those times when we’d normally stress out. It allows us the wisdom to know what the true “dangerous” situations are, and what the mundane, everyday, stressors are that in reality, we don’t need to flip out over.
So the next time you’re on deadline, or rushing to get the kids out the door, or you miss your train, close your eyes, relax and focus on the breath. In moments, you’ll be in that yin, recuperative state, and you’ll live a healthier, more relaxed life.
– Gregory Radicone L.Ac , specializes in psycho-emotional issues and pain management